Health Benefits of the Paleo Diet Called Into Question

Paleo Not So Good for you Afterall

The Paleo diet has become increasingly popular over the past few years, with followers swearing by it and its health benefits.  The diet consists of a high amount of protein, mainly fish, grass fed beef, eggs, vegetables, fruit and fungi, roots and nuts and excludes grain, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, salt, sugar and oil for the most part.  The concept behind the Paleo diet originated with the belief that we should be eating like our ancestors, specifically those that lived during the Paleolithic period around 15,000 years ago.  While this might sound like a good idea in theory, a recent study found that the Paleo diet could be bad for your health.

Eating Too Much Protein Is as Bad as Smoking

The recent study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, looked at proponents that follow the Paleo diet and their counterparts who don’t.  In all, the study tracked adults over the age of 50 for 18 years.  Those who followed an animal protein-rich diet were 74% more likely to die than those who did not follow such a diet.  One of the researchers even concluded that the study findings provide enough evidence to suggest that eating too much animal protein is as bad as smoking for your health in the long-run.

Nutritionists and Doctors Question the Premise of the Paleo Diet

It seems to make sense, at least in theory, that if we eat like our Paleolithic ancestors we’ll be free of some of the chronic diseases that now face.  However, doctors and nutritionist debunk this idea and instead say that it is difficult to conclude that eating a protein-rich diet is what kept our ancestors living longer and disease-free.  What’s good about the Paleo diet is that it cuts out overly processed foods.  That being said, we shouldn’t go to such extremes in our eating habits as to cut out entire food groups since this is typically not sustainable in the long-term.  Plus, we’ve got other high protein diets to look to that didn’t turn out so well–Atkins diet anyone?